Policing of the lower drinking age has to toughen up, said Annabel Young MP today.

"I voted for 18-year-olds to be able to drink because I was promised the lower age would be strictly enforced. It is why we insisted ID cards would be required.

"Instead, MP's have been let down by the pubs and the police who are doing next to nothing to enforce the age limit. What publican or policeman can't tell the difference between a ten-year-old and an 18-year-old carrying an ID card?" Annabel Young asked.

"We hear plenty about underage drinking, yet there are virtually no prosecutions of suppliers selling to under-18's.

"I also blame parents who are ignoring the responsibility of ensuring their kids are safe. They should know what their teenagers are getting up to.

"The deal was to lower the drinking age but, in turn, crack down hard on underage drinkers. What has happened to that deal now?

The vote in Parliament on the drinking age was a conscience vote. MP's thought they were voting to replace a 20-year age limit that wasn't being enforced, with a strictly enforced lower age of 18.

© Scoop Media